EAB19887 - ARCHAEOLOGICAL INTERVENTION - VICTORIA PARK, ARBROATH

The excavation was limited to the area of the two disturbed inhumations. The topsoil contained Victorian ceramics, glass, and disarticulated bone, probably relating to the landscaping of the park in the Late 19th Century. Both skeletons were barely covered by their respective grave fills, perhaps as a result of truncation during the landscaping of the park. Two individuals were recovered from the site, an adult (SK2), and a young adolescent (SK1) of approximately 11-13 years of age, both buried in supine positions on an east-west alignment with their skulls to the west. The skeleton of the young adolescent was near complete and the individual appears to have suffered from a congenital spinal defect. An iron buckle was recovered alongside the adolescent skeleton in a position suggesting that it was on a belt or strap across the chest at the time of inhumation. A piece of iron from the opposite side of the rib cage may have been part of the same accessory. Several stones in the grave appeared to have been deliberately placed. Four small, smooth, white quartz pebbles formed an arc on the southwest side of the grave partly framing the upper body. Around the legs were the remnants of what may have been a red sandstone kerb. On the north, three sub-rectangular slabs formed a lone, roughly parallel to the skeleton, and on the south were two stone blocks which appeared to have been disturbed. The adult burial contained no grave goods and had been severely truncated and disturbed, leaving the skeleton only partially complete. A number of red sandstone slabs were located around the area where the skull would have lain. Both graves contained material thought to be residual and possibly intrusive, including animal bones, pottery sherds, flint flakes, and fragmentary burnt bone. Radiocarbon dating gave dates of 1029-1160 AD for the adult and 1271-1291 AD for the adolescent. Both graves fit broadly with the character of Christian burials in Medieval Scotland. Isotope analysis of the bone from the skeletons suggests protein originating mainly from terrestrial fauna, with a notable lack of marine fish in the diet that might be expected at this date and coastal location. Further artefacts and disarticulated human bone were recovered from the grave fills and spoil heaps. Other material recovered from the park included Medieval ceramics indicating possible domestic activity in the area, but the extensive landscaping of the area, probably in the 1890s, renders provenance of this material uncertain. The disarticulated remains represent a further six individuals, including a juvenile between 6 and 10 years old, two infants circa 1 year and 2 years old, a neonate, an adult, and sparse cremated remains. Together with previous finds of human bone in Victoria Park, the results of this investigation suggests that a substantial cemetery may be located here. Magnetic survey carried out 7 April 2009 around the site of the excavation revealed a large rectangular enclosure circa 40 x 30 m, which might mark the position of a graveyard. The two excavated skeletons were within this enclosure. Period Notes Radiocarbon dates of human bone: SUERC-52455, SK1, 676+/-30 BP, calibrated to 1271-1391 AD at 2 sigma; SUERC-52456, SK2, 932+/-28 BP, calibrated to 1029-1160 AD at 2 sigma.